A St. Paul parking ban? Why? City explains

Snow covered this "Saint Paul" sign at Arcade and Larpenteur on February 21, 2014. An intense winter storm closed Twin Cities schools, cut power to thousands and produced some of the worst driving conditions in recent memory. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)

For the first time in memory, if not city history, St. Paul is stealing a page out of Minneapolis' playbook and banning parking on one side of all residential streets.

"This is a first," Jim Smith, assistant chief of operations for the St. Paul Fire Department, said after a media announcement Friday.

As a result of what St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman referred to as "the winter of our discontent," heavy snowfall that has refused to melt is narrowing street widths, and city plows are running out of places to shove the snow. That's a special concern for firefighters, who are finding it difficult to open the doors of their vehicles, let alone find submerged hydrants.

The city is responding with a citywide parking ban. Drivers who park on the even side of residential streets will receive warning tickets Saturday and a visit from a tow truck Monday. The ban will remain in effect until further notice. Minneapolis, which has a similar ban in place, plans to lift the restrictions by April 1.

So what's the even side of the street, and what's a residential street? Answers to those questions and more will be posted on the city's website, stpaul.gov/snow, which includes a color-coded, interactive map illustrating the parking ban. Residents can also call 651-266-PLOW.

Permit parking will still be enforced. There will be one exception to the parking ban: streets that normally allow parking on one side only.

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In that case, drivers can continue to park on the side they routinely do.

As a general rule of thumb, avoid parking on the south or east side of day plow routes, and read posted street signs carefully. The goal is to make room for fire trucks and ambulances, so cars parked in front of hydrants will get a visit from the tow operator, too.

Coleman joined Smith, city council President Kathy Lantry and street engineer John Mazcko to announce the parking ban Friday during a news conference at Fire Station No. 1 on West Seventh Street.

Smith said emergency personnel are having trouble finding parking, navigating turns and getting out of their vehicles -- delays that could spell the difference between life or death in the event of a fire or medical emergency. Small house fires can double in size in seconds.

Coleman said the highs and lows of a typical winter allow snow to melt between major snowfalls, but this winter has been different. Thanks to heavy precipitation and continuous days near or below zero, about 20 inches of snow cover lingers on the ground, compared to the typical 7 inches.

"It's almost been a death by a thousand cuts," Maczko said. "Frankly, I think the snowflake that fell Dec. 5 is still on the ground. ... There's no place to put it anymore."

The exceptionally cold, snowy winter has been costly for city departments and residents alike. Towing fees are $219.50 before midnight, and $15 for each additional night of storage. Tickets are $56.

Based on five-year averages, the St. Paul Department of Public Works budgets for four major snow events every calendar year. To date, the city has declared eight snow emergencies this season, including five in 2014. The snow emergencies cost the city, on average, about $500,000 for plowing, salting, sanding and other maneuvers.

On social media, residents reacted with a mix of frustration and resignation. The coldest winter in 35 years has been unkind to Minnesota but wreaked far more havoc in Detroit, Atlanta and southern climates unaccustomed to slick roads and snow.

Some residents said snow emergency rules banning parking until the street had been plowed full-width, or "curb to curb," made little sense given the amount of snow currently spilling into city streets a week after the last major snowfall on Feb. 20-21.

"Every resident is technically violating the policy if they park in the street, and the city has obviously not met its own due diligence," Como Park resident Jonathan Canfield wrote in an email. "I have to remove the wake created for my sidewalk, driveway, etc. (by plows). Just sayin'."

City officials have said some of the excess snow is likely related to "fluffing" -- snow compacted in the deep cold can fluff up when temperatures rise. The Feb. 20-21 event dropped nearly 10 inches on St. Paul, bringing seasonal snowfall totals to 57 inches, or 17 inches above normal.

Lantry said Maczko and city officials had been talking about the possibility of a parking ban for weeks, but she and others asked them to hold off. She couldn't in good conscience maintain that request, she said, given the mounting needs of public safety personnel.

The St. Paul Fire Department is asking residents to help remove snow this weekend from around the city's 7,000 hydrants by shoveling out at least a foot of space in every direction.